Optical fibers are used in a variety of optical and telecommunications applications. Optical fiber connectors are used to connect two optical fibers so that the optical communication can take place between the two connected fibers. Often the optical fiber connectors are installed in the field, with such connectors being referred to as “field-installable connectors.” As the name implies, the connectors are installed in less than ideal circumstances for precision assembly. Consequently, such connectors and assembly processes need to be simple and reliable while meeting stringent performance requirements. Also, the tools used for the connector installation need to be portable, easy to use, rugged and preferably battery operated.
The assembly of connectors involves several steps, including the end preparation of the optical fibers to be connectorized. In general, end preparation involves four main process steps: (1) stripping the polymer coating to expose a select length of the bare glass fiber; (2) precision cleaving the bare glass fiber section with controlled end angles and surface quality; (3) inserting the optical fiber in a ferrule of the connector to have a controlled protrusion distance from the ferrule; and (4) polishing the end of the optical fiber that protrudes from the ferrule.
The first step is currently done manually using a mechanical stripper. This process can introduce flaws in the glass fiber that can reduce the optical fiber strength. Consequently, a non-mechanical coating stripping process that does not cause flaws in the glass fiber are desired. To get a controlled protrusion distance and a high-quality fiber end surface, the end of the optical fiber is polished after fixing the optical fiber in the connector ferrule. Generally, this involves several polishing steps with progressively finer polishing pads. The polishing pads need to be replaced after each connector assembly, particularly the final polishing pad. This is a time consuming process whose outcome is very much operator dependent.
It is therefore desirable to simplify the steps for the end preparation of the optical fibers, and in particular eliminate the iterative manual polishing process.